And so it begins...

Arden has loved Tucker since before he was born.

Her reaction to meeting him for the first time was priceless (I'm still trying to get the video to upload...if you have any suggestions, please let me know!)

When she wakes each morning, the first thing she wants to do is see Tucker and give him hugs and kisses.

Her love and affection for him completely melts my heart.

BUT...

Our usually well-behaved little girl is acting out--A LOT.

She is defiant---telling us "no" all the time and refusing to listen/obey.

She is extremely emotional---bursts into tears when we tell her she can't do something.

Biting episodes are becoming more frequent...

She no longer wants to be the "big girl", but wants to be the "baby".

We knew this was coming, but it's still so difficult for us. We are struggling with knowing how to handle this behavior. We've tried to spend some one-on-one time with Arden to remind her that she is still so very important to us and her behavior definitely improves during those times.

Please just pray for our family during this time of transition--and if you have any suggestions, we would be so glad to hear them!

Tucker Gerrit is here!

We welcomed Tucker Gerrit into the world @ 2:08pm on March 3, 2011. He weighed 9 lbs. 11 oz. and was 20.5 in. long. I was blessed to have a smooth labor and an even easier delivery (I pushed for less than 20 minutes!). We are completely in love with our little man and Arden is equally smitten by him :) She has been such a big helper and absolutely loves giving Tucker hugs and kisses! I'm working to upload the video of Arden meeting him for the first time--it's priceless!

Things at home are getting easier each day. I'm fortunate to have Geoff home with us until the middle of next week--I know it's making the transition so much better. Our first couple of nights were rough but things are finally settling down. Tucker loves to eat--right now we are up every 2-3 hours but I know things will get better soon! We are just trying to enjoy every moment with Tucker---no matter what time of day/night it is :)

Enjoy the pictures---I should have many more to post soon!

BIG BOY!

Arden meeting Tucker for the 1st time!

Our family of 4!

Silas meeting Tucker :)

Arden opening her Big Sister present ;)

Waiting!!!!!!!

Melinda and I arrived at the hospital last night for her scheduled induction today. Everything went well last night and we enjoyed a relaxing night alone just watching TV.

Melinda did not get much sleep, however I managed to sleep pretty well.

Now we are just waiting. They started Pitocin at 6:30am and broke her water at 8am. She just got her epidural and now we're hoping things move along smoothly.

Melinda is doing great! She's sitting here talking and laughing and enjoying her last few hours without a newborn. Keep us in your prayers and especially Melinda as she prepares to deliver Tucker. We will update and post pictures as soon as he gets here!

-Geoff (with the help of Auntie April)

While We Wait

I should have posted these a long time ago, but as we all know I'm not the best at staying on top of my blogging. I can only imagine I won't get any better once Tucker arrives!

These are pictures of Tucker's nursery. A huge thanks goes to my mom for doing the awesome paint job, my dear friend Dasha for painting the furniture (with some help from April and Geoff), and sweet Carla Woods for making his bedding. Everything turned out perfectly--exactly how I envisioned.

Now all we need is for Tucker to be here! He is scheduled to arrive sometime tomorrow; I think I will put Geoff on blogging duty like he was during Arden's birth so that we can keep everyone updated :)

I just had to include this picture of our sweet Arden, who is so ready to be the best big sister there ever was!

Arden, your daddy and I love you more than you will ever know. The past 28 months have been the best months of our lives. You bring so much joy to each and every moment we spend with you and we know that you will continue to bless our lives in the years to come. We look forward to you meeting Tucker and watching your relationship with him grow. Tucker couldn't ask for a better BIG SISTER! We love you sweet Arden---you will always be our baby girl!